Wood and metal connection or the like



May 22, 1945.

l G. F, BERGER 2,376,570

WOOD AND METAL CONNECTION OR THE LIKE Filed May 1e', 1942 all Patented May 22, 1945 WOOD AND METAL CONNECTION R I THE LIKE Guido F. Berger, Two Rivers, Wis., assignor to Hamilton Manufacturing Company, Two Rivers, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application May 16, 1942, Serial N0. 443,232(

(Cl. L15'7) Claims.

I This invention relates to wood and metal connections or the like wherein `the use of nails or other visible fastening elements is avoided to enhance the sightlinessvof the construction and at the same time the security of the connection.

The present invention is especially adapted to the construction of drawer corners for wood and sheet metal cabinet drawers or the like and more particularly for drawers for dental cabinets, which stand open `frequently closely adjacent the patients chair and are thus readily visible to the patient.

The invention will be readily understood from the followingr description, taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which- 1 Figure 1 is a front elevational somewhat skeletal View of a drawer front end with parts here associated therewith shown in dotted lines;

` Figure 2 is a plan view of the structure of Fig. 1` disclosing a drawer corner;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. l;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary end perspective view of the wood drawer front; and

Figure 5 is a similar View of the metal drawer side.

Referring in detail to the illustrative construction and procedure shown in the drawing, the wooddrawer front IB is here shown formed of a main portion II and a facing portion I2, which in this instance are integral, the facing portion extending beyond the main portion not only from front to rear of the drawer but also upwardly and downwardly and sidewise, as is well known in the art of cabinet making. The drawer side I3 is advantageously of sheet metal vand is intended to be secured in lapping abutment to the end III of the main drawer front portion rII, with the front edge I5 of the sheet metal side I3 abutting from front to rear the extended face IB of the drawer front facing portion I2. Here'tofore it has been customary at this point to drive nails or screws through the face I 'I of the metal side into the end I d of the main drawer part to secure the parts together;,but such nails or screws are thus readily visiblel and unsightly as well as having a tendency to pull out or become loose. 1

In accordance with the present invention, the drawer side front edge I5 along its upper portion has an integral holding element such as the right-angularly inturned ange I8 which is formed as a continuation of the sheet metal and along its vertical free edge is again bent rightangularly to form a lip I9 at its inner side, the

whole having a somewhat channel shape. The flange I8 is desirably wedge-shaped and in this instance has a downwardly and inwardly sloping top edge 20, and the lip I 9 which constitutes its free Vertical edge is slightly out of parallel with the face II, so that the lip is a little nearer the face I'I at its lower end than it is at its upper end, the ange I8 thus being vertically .tapered and the lip I9 extending in the direction in which the ange is tapered.

Reverting tothe wood member II'I, this mem ber, following the present invention, has an opening such as a slot by a saw cut 2l made in the main drawer portion II along the vertical line at which this main drawer portion II adjoins the facing portion I2 and extending vertically from the bottom edge of the portion II` to just short of the top surface of the portion II and extending inwardly to a depth at its inner side as at 22 sulcient, to accommodate the flange I8 with the side face I1 of the drawer side I3 snugly abutting the end It of the portion II and terminating adjacent its upper edge in an internal curved wall 23. The width of the saw cut 2I is just enough to snugly pass the flange I8 therethrough and is thus approximately of a width equal to the thickness of the sheet metal of the drawer side.

The next step in the practice of the invention is to assemble the parts so that the flange ill shall occupy a position in the slot 2| whereby the lip I9 extends angularly into a kerf 24 at the inner side of the slot and thus the parts are interlocked against sidewise or transverse relative movement of the wood front and metal side. In this instance, since the front facing portion I2 is integral with the main front portion I I this is accomplished by a relatively telescoping endto-end movement of the flange I8 and slot 2I. Furthermore, as here shown, the slot 2| may be conveniently enlarged at. one end as at 25 suicient to pass the lip I9 therethrough into the inner side 22 of the slot 2l vs0 that the parts Ill and I3 may thus be assembled initially by a relative lateral movement, after which the lip l 9 now being at the inner side of the slot, with the side face Il abutting the drawer end I4, the parts are next forced relatively in opposite directions vertically so that the flange I8 moves upwardly in the slot 2I, and, as the flange leaves the slot enlargement 25, the flange lip I9 may itself cut the kerf 24 in Ithe slot until the flange occupies the position shown in Figs, l, 2 andB, thus securely interlocking the parts against transverse movement. The downwardly sloping upper edge and the taper of the flange I8 already referred to advantageously pulls the parts together laterally somewhat by a camming action as the flange and slot move into progressively greater interlock, by reason of the lip I9 being inclined progressively toward the end face I4 from the place where it first engages the kerf 24. When the flange I8 .moves upwardly as indi-cated by arrow A and the 'side face II is caused to abut the front end I4 without objectionable play while providing a secure and sightly attachment of the parts.

As is customary in constructions here illustrated, the metal of the drawer side I3 :maybe turned inwardly along its ulower .edge as .at 26 to have welded thereto as at 26a a sheet `rmetal drawer bottom piece 21 which .may Vhave nail apertures 28 therein and which when the ange I8 has been driven home into the slot 2l abuts 'there being, 4as will be understood, one of these runners at each side of the drawer and formed in this instance from the part I3 and its counterpart at the other .side of the cabinet (not shown), ,re-

spectively, which directly support thedrawer and upon which it moves slidingly in and out of a cabinet. Also, along the upper edge of the drawer side may be formed an arched outwardly overhangng runner32 which may slide .on a track in the cabinet or may serve as a spacing member to prevent excessive play of .the drawer in the cabinet. The semi-cylindrical portions 3I and 32 also serve to reinforce the drawer side against bending stresses.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. .As an article of .manu-facture, in .a wood and metal connection drawer construction, the combination of a wood drawer front and a sheet metal drawer side, the-drawer front Shaving a vertical opening in its end face terminating short of the upper face of the drawer front, .the drawer side having ,an inturned vertically tapered ange received into its final ,position in .said .opening by a. reciprocal vertical movement with respect to the .drawer front, the flange entering lthe lower end of said opening, said nange being .sloped along its upper edge and having .an angularly turned .lip along its ,inner side extending in .the direction in which said flange is .taperedand the assemblybeing made to .cause the said opening to receive .said lip as well .as said flange, .the material of said wood vdrawer front being .kerfed communicating with .said opening by said reciprocal vertical movement to .receive .said lip, a .drawer bottom piece carried -by the :drawer side, means securing the drawer bottom piece and .drawer front together to maintain .said assembly, and .a depending looped ,runner part .formed integrally with said metaldrawer side.

. 2. .As an article ,of manufacture, in a wood and metal connection, ,the `combina-tion of .a wood part anda .sheet .metal part, vthe wood part having a slot in its .end face vterminating shortl of the upper face .of .the wood par-t, .the sheet metal part having a right-.angularly inturned vertically wedgeshaped ange received into its .nal .position in said `vslot by a vertical krelative telescoping move.

V2l) of the flange assists in this forced assembly ment of the wood part and sheet metal part, said flange having an angularly turned lip along its inner side and the material of said wood part being kerfed communicating with said slot also at its inner side to receive said lip, said kerf being cut by said vertical relative telescoping movement of the parts, and an enlargement of .said slot at ,its lower lend initially receiving the flange by a lateral relative movement of fthe-parts prior to said vertical relative movement.

, 3. As an article of manufacture, in a wood and metal drawer corner construction, the combination of ya wood drawer. front and a sheet metal drawer side, the drawer front having a vertical opening injits end :fa-ce terminating short of the upper face .of the drawer front, vthe drawer side hav-ing 'a right-angularly inturned flange received into its inal position in said opening by a reciprocal vertical movement of the drawer side anddrawer front, the flange entering the lower end of said opening, said .flange being vertically tapered and having a right-angularly turnedlip along its inner side extending in the direction of said tapera said lip being nearer said drawer front end face at .its lower end .than ,at its upper end, 'the material of said wood drawer front being kerfed communicating with said opening bysaid reciprocal vertical movement to receive vsaid .lip whereby when saidfront and said side `are assembled .by said .reciprocal vertical movement .they are interlocked by a camming action .serving .to draw the said front and side together in assembly.

4. As an article of manufacture, ina non-metal and metal connection, 'the combination ofa nonmetal piece and a .metal piece disposed adjacent to the non-metalpiece, .the non-metal piece having an elongated opening `in a. face thereof .to which said metal piece is adjacent, the metal piece having a holding element comprising an angularly turned .tapered flange, the said .flange entering one end of said opening and being received into its final position in .said .opening .by a reciprocal telescoping movement with .respect to the Vnon-metal piece with the wider end .of .said flange leading, said flange having an angularly turned lip along .its inner side extending in the direction in which said flange is tapered, .the said lip being received in Va kerf in .the material yof said non-metal piece .communicating with...theI said opening whereby the ysaid wood and .metal pieces are pulled together .by a vcamming action during ,said reciprocal telescoping movement.

5. vAs .anarticle of manufacture, in a wood and metal ycorner .construction or .the like, thefcombination .of .a .wood piece and a .metal piece, :the woodpiece having .a vslot inits xend face termimait ingshort .ofthe upperand lowerfaces of the wood piece, the metal piece having an .inturned flange received .into its nal position i-n said .slot by `a vertical 4relative telescoping movement of .the wood and metal pieces, ,said .flange having a lip along its inner ,side `and the .material of said l-wood piece being kerfed communicating withfsaid slot f at .its inner side to .receive saidlipby said relative telescoping movement, v and an enlargement ofsaid slot intermediallyof the ends thereof initially receiving the flangeincluding saidlip by alat-` GUIDO BERGER. 

